Stacey & Lee | Old Down Manor | Wedding

I just love the shot above. For me it nicely sums up the fun of Stacey and Lee’s wedding. I love being an Old Down Manor wedding Photographer. The happiness, the laughter, the prettiness, the cheers and the children running around. I also love the heart shaped piece of tissue just next to Stacey’s head. It’s a small detail but it helps make up a great moment. I love returning here and it’s definitely one of my best wedding venues in Bristol.

So here are a few of my favourite images from the wedding at Old Down Manor. It was a beautiful celebration and we got really lucky with the weather. It was a lovely, lovely day. Stacey and Lee decided to both get ready at Old Down Manor – which was great because it meant I could photograph them both getting ready with their respective entourages. For an observer like me it’s great to watch and capture all the different dynamics. The different groups and the emotion/nerves that happen in the morning. A big thank you to Becci from Bijoux Wedding & Event Planning who I met in the morning. She made and set up lots of pretty decorations and flowers for me to photograph. With beautiful natural pinks, peach, whites and greens of spring.

It was great to meet Leesa Goodway who did great job with Stacey’s makeup and work again with Helen Farley hair stylist extraordinaire. Stacey slipped on a Maggie Sottero gown, had a quick glass (x2?) of Champagne and headed down to the ceremony. There were lots of readings, and, Stacey and Lee prepared personalised wedding vows to read to one another. I always think this can be a great way to personalise the ceremony. Whilst I’m no great writer myself it can be so nice to say a few personal words to the person you love on the biggest day of your lives.

After the ceremony drinks were served. Pete Josef played piano and sung throughout the reception. I really love hearing live music at weddings (another perk of the job) and there’s a beautiful simplicity of having a solo pianist perform. I caught one of my favourite photographs of the day, which is a shot from above looking down on to Stacey and Lee who were standing next to the piano. As I remember it, it was one of the first moments ‘alone’ that they had to speak to one another. From the space around them it’s easy to see how busy the room is, and they’ve turned in towards one another to have a moment. It was a very brief moment, but it’s really interesting to see how these moments become  memories.